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Editorial Reviews
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I'm the director of the Sacramento State Jazz Singers and the arranger of "Selfless, Cold and Composed" on this album, and I'm very proud to have been involved in its making. Ben is one of my favorite artists, and it's such an honor to have worked with him and his team on this project, the proceeds of which are going towards "Save the Music."
One of the goals/intents of this album was to present some of Ben's previous work in a new context for his listeners, and to give some exposure to some of the hard-working and talented amateur singers who've been putting together a cappella versions of his charts and posting videos to YouTube. Ben was cool enough not to worry about copyright infringement as some artists might, but instead he admired the passion of the groups (mostly college glee club types, student-directed with student arrangements) and chose to encourage other groups to submit their performances for a contest to make it onto this album. Over 200 groups submitted (or already had vids up), and these tracks (besides the two tracks by Ben himself) are the result. Most groups rerecorded their songs the Sac State Jazz Singers, as well as the U of Chicago, ended up using the original tracks from the submission, as Ben felt the quality was high enough to hang with the album.
Sac State's track, "Selfless, Cold and Composed," sounds a bit different from the rest of the project because my arrangement goes a bit further from the original and uses some thick jazz voicings, with some scat singing, as well. The way the album is assembled, though, our track seems to fit in well, and the following track by U of Chicago, "Magic," is incredibly well-written, sung and produced. Other favorites of mine are "Not the Same," "You Don't Know Me," "Fair" and, of course, Ben's two tracks, "Effington" and "Boxing." The album has gotten a lot of media attention, and I hope it helps create new fans of a cappella and of Ben Folds!
One of the goals/intents of this album was to present some of Ben's previous work in a new context for his listeners, and to give some exposure to some of the hard-working and talented amateur singers who've been putting together a cappella versions of his charts and posting videos to YouTube. Ben was cool enough not to worry about copyright infringement as some artists might, but instead he admired the passion of the groups (mostly college glee club types, student-directed with student arrangements) and chose to encourage other groups to submit their performances for a contest to make it onto this album. Over 200 groups submitted (or already had vids up), and these tracks (besides the two tracks by Ben himself) are the result. Most groups rerecorded their songs the Sac State Jazz Singers, as well as the U of Chicago, ended up using the original tracks from the submission, as Ben felt the quality was high enough to hang with the album.
Sac State's track, "Selfless, Cold and Composed," sounds a bit different from the rest of the project because my arrangement goes a bit further from the original and uses some thick jazz voicings, with some scat singing, as well. The way the album is assembled, though, our track seems to fit in well, and the following track by U of Chicago, "Magic," is incredibly well-written, sung and produced. Other favorites of mine are "Not the Same," "You Don't Know Me," "Fair" and, of course, Ben's two tracks, "Effington" and "Boxing." The album has gotten a lot of media attention, and I hope it helps create new fans of a cappella and of Ben Folds!
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It's so awesome to hear these songs re-interpreted this way! Not only is there incredible creativity in the arrangements on the album, but there's also the added impact of knowing that these songs were sung, mostly live, without instruments. You can tell that the groups were really thinking about the meanings and the emotional content of the songs -- it comes through quite clearly.
The first person to rate the album based their rating on a technical problem with hearing samples on the amazon.com website, not based on the quality of the album. Don't be fooled by people who haven't heard the album they submit a rating for!
My assessment -- the whole thing is terrific.
The first person to rate the album based their rating on a technical problem with hearing samples on the amazon.com website, not based on the quality of the album. Don't be fooled by people who haven't heard the album they submit a rating for!
My assessment -- the whole thing is terrific.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
this was absolutely astounding!! I'd never really appreciated accapella, though I am an avid fan of Folds, however, upon listening to this cd I was struck by how, for lack of a better phrase, damn good it was!! I highly recommend this to all even if accapella is not your thing.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The more I listen to it, the more I love it!
I stumbled across this album when one of the songs came on my Pandora station. The album is wonderful! I love the variations of the songs!
Published 2 months ago by Tom's Boss Lady
Wonderful album, and a fresh take on some classic Ben tunes!
I'm a huge Ben Folds fan, so I didn't hesitate to buy this album. The tracks on this disc are hit-or-miss for me; some of them I find absolutely breathtaking; some I find boring... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jeremy
Don't Listen to this Near Young Children
If you have ever watched "The Sing Off" and wondered if Ben Folds can give an evaluation without using some sort of curse word, then you will NOT want this CD. Read more
Published 6 months ago by MS
Can't stop listening to it--
I'm a bit unusual in that I was not a Ben Folds fan before I heard this project. I'm an active musician in the church and community that doesn't listen to pop radio. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Robert F. Barnes
Great Music
If you like a cappella, you'll love this one - best groups from various universities display their talents. Fun , lovely, and funny - all kinds of songs. Great in the car.
Published 13 months ago by Music Lover
A great interpretation of Ben Folds
This is a fun and interesting disc. Ben Folds only appears on two tracks, but it should be obvious when viewing the product that it is not a regular Ben Folds album.
Published 18 months ago by Mrs Sonja Pohlman
Good, but not great
The songs on this CD are sung well, and performed with commitment and enthusiasm. My criticism concerns the arrangements themselves. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Eoin Conway
Ben Folds University a capella album
A disappointing album. I had heard the piece by the Univ. of Colorado group and it was great, but the rest of the album is not much. Very repetitious.
Published 24 months ago by Loretta L. Burd
So much talent
It is amazing how much talent is displayed in these college choruses. Great writing ahd excellent performances.
Published on April 10, 2010 by Max Heffler
Brilliant!
I have seriously listened to this hundreds of times. I just do not seem to grow tired of it. The definitive version of selfless, cold & composed. Read more
Published on October 26, 2009 by C. W. Foran
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